Relics are your build
Relics are equippable charms with passive effects, and you can only slot a few — up to 3 artifacts at once. The build is a curated set that reinforces how you actually fight, not a scattered shelf.
Rosary Beads
The other passive layer is Rosary Beads. You begin with 2 slots and expand to 8 by finding Knots of Rosary Rope and giving them to Engracia in the Brotherhood of the Silent Sorrow. There are 30 original beads, split into three types: Offensive (more damage or projectiles), Defensive (more health or resistance), and Utility (flasks, Fervour, navigation). Beads like the Amber Eye (Electrical protection) or Bead of Red Wax (vitality) show how a small passive shifts a fight.
Reinforce one axis
Pick relics and beads that deepen your playstyle — more Fervour, better executions, extra health — rather than one of everything. A focused set out-performs a scattered one, especially against the late bosses in the boss database such as Quirce (2,700 HP) and Crisanta (2,900 HP).
Rebuild per area
Swap relics and beads to answer the zone. The enemy database tells you the damage types ahead — Fire in the Convent, Physical in the Library — so equip the resistance you need before you push.